TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Gov. Ron DeSantis reacted Thursday to the reverberations of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy on Florida, rejecting a gas tax pause amid the Middle East war and warning about a possible mass exodus out of Cuba.
DeSantis expressed deep skepticism about slashing the state’s gas tax to counter a rise in fuel prices amid the conflict with Iran. AAA, which tracks gas prices, said current per gallon prices in the Sunshine State are nearly $1 higher than they were a year ago.
The Republican governor successfully pushed for a gas tax holiday back in 2022, when former President Joe Biden was in office and DeSantis was seeking a second term. Democrats in the Florida Legislature last week called for a temporary suspension of the current roughly 25 cents per gallon in state and local fuel taxes. But DeSantis said even if the state does suspend gas taxes, fluctuations in oil prices may erase any potential savings for motorists.
“Our ability to influence fuel prices are really marginal,” DeSantis said during a bill signing ceremony in Bradenton. “Sometimes the prices get raised so the consumer doesn’t see any difference. If the gas is $4 a gallon, whether you are paying tax or not, if you are paying $4 that’s what people notice, right? And I think when we did it in the past … I don’t think the consumer really felt relief.”
